Staying Safe on the Internet

Staying safe on the Internet

90% of my clients that bring me slow computers always try to lead the conversation off with the same line: "I think it's full of viruses or something.  Do you know how safe www.(insertwebsitehere).com is?"

I will lead off by saying this:  the Internet is not completely full of websites trying to give you a virus.  People get viruses when they open links in emails from unknown senders, or when they download files (videos...frankly porn) from shady websites.  Google does not give you viruses.  Paypal does not give you viruses.  Companies that set themselves up to look like Google give you viruses.

First thing you need to do to protect yourself from malicious software is to make sure that you are getting the files from the proper sources.  For example:  there are web pages that look like the Facebook login page.  The color scheme is the same, the entry fields look the same.  The difference is found in the address bar.  If the URL is not facebook.com, then don't enter information.

One big tip I give clients is that they should not use links included in emails to enter a website.  We will use Paypal as an example: I get an email from "Paypal".  It's not really from Paypal, but it looks similar and says Paypal on it a few times.  So I click on a link, which takes me to a fake Paypal login page.  I enter my information and POW, I enter a website full of malicious software (including the login page itself, which probably just sent your login info to the very people you don't want to have that info).

How do you avoid this?  Don't click the link.  Type the address into the address bar yourself, that way you know that you are going to the proper address.

If you receive messages containing viruses or spam sites from friends of yours, be sure to send them an email back informing them that they are spreading scams or informing them that they are sending viruses.  Sometimes people can send out malicious software without being aware of it, and alerting them to the fact that their account may be compromised is just the friendly thing to do.

Secondly, get a good antivirus program and use it to scan files that you want to download.  This is usually done automatically by reputable programs.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen systems infected with viruses with absolutely no virus protection what-so-ever.  I suggest AVG Free for the average web-surfer.  It will automatically scan downloads to be sure that they are virus-free before you open them and expose your entire system to who-knows-what kind of virus.  Be sure that you are updating the program with the latest definitions.  Without the latest updates, the program is unable to detect new viruses that have emerged since the last update.  This means that the latest and greatest software will be able to ransack your system freely.

I feel like it should go without saying, but in my experience it does not, that once you install and update your antivirus program you actually have to run the scan every so often.  Having an anti-virus on your computer does not scare away malicious software, so just in case something does slip through the cracks you need to detect it before it becomes a problem.  This does not happen on its own, so once a week or so you need to open your virus scanner and run it.  You can also schedule the program to run automatically, say at 3 am every Thursday, so that while you are sleeping soundly your computer will run the scan for you and display the results when you get up in the morning.  Bear in mind that if you decide to go that route, the computer will need to be booted up at the scheduled time of the scan.

The same points can be applied to an anti-malware program and a firewall.  Make sure you have these programs updated and turned on, or they also lose their ability to protect you properly.

The programs I currently use to protect my own computer include:

Anti-Virus: AVG (They have a paid and a free version available, and honestly I use the free version myself and have very little trouble).  This can be downloaded here.

Anti-Malware:  IoBit Malware Fighter (again, I use the free version.  The biggest difference between paid and free version is that the paid version will scan automatically.  As long as you are diligent about running your scans, the paid version isn't necessary in my opinion).  This can be downloaded here.

Firewall:  ZoneAlarm (one again, free/paid version is up to you.  I use the free version).  It can be downloaded here.

Hopefully this quick guide can help you be sure that you are protected from your standard virus or phishing attack.  Just remember:

-Have a decent anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall program installed and updated on every machine.  There are some killer free programs out there, so there is really no excuse not to.

-Remember that, in order to work properly, you must run scans of your computer at least every week to ten days.  If your protection includes automatic scans as part of the software, that's great!  Just be sure you check up on them every so often to be sure that a.) the scan actually ran and b.) the program was able to automatically handle any problems that did arise.  If it cannot handle the problem on its own, it should show you a prompt that will walk you through the necessary steps to get rid of the software yourself.

-If a website or email looks suspicious, it probably is.  The safest bet is to manually enter web addresses as often as possible, and especially to avoid clicking on links or copy/pasting URLs from potentially dangerous emails.

Happy Surfing!